According to a report circulating this morning, a Vatican spokesman said Pope Benedict XVI will resign at the end of the month. The Pope is stepping down due to health reasons, reports the "Squawk Box" news team.

The Italian Finance Minister Vittorio Grilli's thoughts on Pope Benedict's announcement today that he will abdicate his position. Grilli does not see the Pope stepping down as a step toward developing a succession plan in the Catholic church.

PROVIDENCE, R.I.-- The Associated Press and three other news organizations Tuesday filed legal papers asking a Rhode Island judge to unseal documents in a lawsuit contesting the will of an elderly widow who gave some $60 million to the Legion of Christ, a disgraced Roman Catholic religious order.

*Butler gets 18- month sentence but remains in Vatican house arrest. VATICAN CITY, Oct 6- A Vatican court convicted Pope Benedict's former butler of stealing sensitive documents and sentenced him to 18 months detention on Saturday, at the end of one of the most sensational trials in the recent history of the Holy See.

*Vatican spokesman evokes papal pardon. VATICAN CITY, Oct 6- A Vatican court convicted Pope Benedict's former butler of stealing sensitive documents and sentenced him to 18 months in prison on Saturday, at the end of one of the most sensational trials in the recent history of the Holy See.

*Vatican spokesman evokes papal pardon By Philip Pullella and Naomi O'Leary. VATICAN CITY, Oct 6- A Vatican court convicted Pope Benedict's former butler of stealing sensitive documents and sentenced him to 18 months in prison on Saturday, at the end of one of the most sensational trials in the recent history of the Holy See.

The pope's visit to Cuba is providing a rare opportunity to see first hand the economic state of one of the last bastions of socialism, and whether or not a few new market-oriented laws are the start of meaningful change.